Human trafficking is the fastest growing crime in the entire world and is considered modern day slavery. Almost 80% of trafficking is through sexual exploitation, which means that it primarily affects women and girls (UNODC, 2009). Victims are often tricked into the business through promise of work or a better life and sometimes just randomly stolen right from their homes. However, this is not just an issue overseas. Michigan is listed as the state with the second highest rates of human trafficking.
Policy Description
Policy Overview
The 2014 Michigan Human Trafficking Legislation Package is a compilation of 21 bills that cover four main goals. The policy covers Public Acts 324-329, 331-344, 387, and 461 and is strictly state legislation.
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By 1600, Portugal, Great Britain, France, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, and North America were all shipping Africans away from their homeland to work as slaves in European countries (Young, 2011). Although this was not the first known instances of human trafficking, it is noted as the most organized, intentional persecution of a specific population. It wasn’t until 1865 that slavery was made illegal in the United States. However, human trafficking continued to persist in various ways. In 1902, the focus on human trafficking seemed to turn from the African population to white women and girls. The International Agreement for the Suppression of White Slave Traffic was created to keep white women and girls from being forced into prostitution. When the League of Nations was created in 1927, this legislation was changed to focus on all women and girls instead of strictly …show more content…
Numerous non-profit organizations were formed to fight the existence of trafficking and to provide help for it’s victims. In 2001, President Barack Obama declared January to be Human Trafficking Awareness month in order to raise more awareness of the problem and in turn, create better legislation that protects trafficking victims and prosecute traffickers. In 2013, the Michigan Commission on Human Trafficking was created in order to compile a report on trafficking in the state and make recommendation to address the problem. This report was what jump started the 2014 legislative package. In March of 2015, it was reported that out of all 50 States, Michigan had the second highest rates of human